Braxton Sues Ex-Manager

by Josh Grossberg Tue Jan 16, 9:24 AM ET

Los Angeles (E! Online) - We're not sure if he wasn't man enough, but as far as

Toni Braxton is concerned, he definitely wasn't honest enough.

The R&B singer has sued former manager Barry Hankerson, accusing him of cheating her out of more than $10 million by manipulating her into leaving her longtime label, LaFace/Arista, for his own record company.

The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Manhattan Friday, claims that beginning in 2002, Hankerson deceived Braxton by fabricating feuds with Arista over creative decisions, including song selection, choice of record producers and content of music videos, to sabotage her ties with the label.

"Hankerson actively sought to destroy Braxton's relationship with Arista through underhanded 'double-talk,' telling Braxton that Arista was not interested in working with her anymore, while telling Arista that Braxton no longer wanted to record for Arista," states the complaint.

According to court documents, once Hankerson was able to get Braxton released from her Arista contract in 2003, he convinced her o sign a multi-album deal with his newly formed Blackground Records.

Braxton cut one disc for Blackground, 2005's Libra, which debuted at number four and was certified gold with a half-million copies sold. But the album didn't spawn any hit singles and wasn't widely promoted. It was then, per her suit, that Braxton uncovered the alleged duplicity.

She also claims that Hankerson denied her certain contractual rights she had in her previous deal by prohibiting her from obtaining accounting statements and other financial information.

Braxton says she repeatedly tried to fire Hankerson, but he purportedly threatened retaliation if she didn't allow him to personally micromanage her career. She claims he also prevented her from talking with several potential replacement managers.

After Libra failed to perform up to expectations, diehard Braxton fans launched a petition hoping to persuade J Records mogul Clive Davis to step in and offer her a new contract. Shortly thereafter, Braxton and Hankerson parted ways; last week, Billboard.com announced that the entertainer was leaving the label.

Hankerson did not return a phone call Monday seeking comment.

Aside from Braxton, Blackground Records' roster includes up-and-coming artists JoJo and Tank and renowned record producer Timbaland. The label also controls the catalog of late R&B star Aaliyah.

As for Braxton, the six-time Grammy winner, whose hits include "Un-Break My Heart" and "He Wasn't Man Enough," is keeping busy. She has been performing a residency at the Flamingo hotel-casino in Las Vegas since August, she appeared last season on American Idol, and she was a featured performer on Fox's New Year's Eve countdown special.